Hands-On Impressions Of Perfect Dark XBLA

Share

Fans of the Nintendo 64 classic Goldeneye have been clamoring for an
Xbox Live Arcade re-release for years, but legal issues have prevented
it from becoming a reality. Thankfully, the licensing issues that
plagued a 007 revival don’t apply to its spiritual followup Perfect
Dark. At the X10 conference, I had a chance to sit down with creative
director (and inspiration for the much-maligned Klobb weapon) Ken Lobb
as he guided me through a hands-on demonstration of the upcoming title.

What
was made clear right out of the gate is that this is a 100% faithful
remake of the Rare classic. Every single mode, every single weapon, and
every bot type from the N64 original is back and just how you
remembered them…except a whole lot prettier. Everything has received an
immediately noticeable visual upgrade while still staying true to the
original art style. Longtime GI readers may remember that our own
Andrew Reiner was a baddie in the original, although it sadly appears
that his low-res mug will not be making a return appearance.

“There’s
a lot of stuff from Perfect Dark that I’m surprised people haven’t
ripped off yet,” says Lobb. One such feature is the Counter-Ops
multiplayer mode that put one player in the position of a random enemy.
Once dispatched by Joanna, they’re redeployed as another enemy within
the level. It’s a mode that’s been virtually ignored by multiplayer
gaming since the original PD, but it’ll be back this March (and with an
acceptable framerate for the first time).

All of the
multiplayer challenges are back and can be performed with 2-4 players.
Each is identical to the original game, with some insanely difficult
objectives such as pitting four human players against four PerfectSims.
All of these bots are back as well, meaning you’ll be committing
MeatSim genocide like it’s 2000 all over again. Adding to the replay
value is the fact that Perfect Dark will be released with 20
achievements – a first for an XBLA game. They’ll add up to the standard
200 gamerpoints, but the eight extra objectives should do a good job of
ratcheting up the game’s replayability.

A proper
Goldeneye port may be an impossibility, but this XBLA Perfect Dark is
about as close as you can get without a lawsuit. Three stages from
Goldeneye are back and almost identical to how you remember them
(although “Facility” is renamed “Felicity”). Adding to the nostalgia
factor are the “Classic” weapon loadouts. Settings such as Classic
Power or Classic Grenade will have you running around with Golden
Magnums (Golden Gun), KLO1313 (Klobb) automatics, and Lasers (not from
Moonraker, they promise) just like in Goldeneye.

Lobb
understands that modern FPS gamers are used to a different control
scheme than the N64 could provide, so he’s included two more modern
control options – Spartan and Duty Calls. It may not be subtle, but
Halo and COD fans will know exactly what to do once the game starts.

As
a huge fan of Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, I was thrilled with how this
remake is looking. It features a fantastic visual overhaul and controls
beautifully, and should be a no-brainer purchase at 800 MS points for
fans of Rare’s classic.